HYDERABAD, OCT 17 :The Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) on Thursday announced that PKL Season 11 will start in Hyderabad on Friday.

In Season 11, PKL will be returning to a three-city format, with the 2024 edition commencing at the GMCB Indoor Stadium, Gachibowli in Hyderabad from October 18 to November 9.

It will then move to the Noida Indoor Stadium for the second leg starting on November 10 till December 1.

The third leg will begin at the Badminton Hall in the Balewadi Sports Complex in Pune from December 3 to December 24

The Battle of Breath will commence with a thrilling opener where the Telugu Titans and the Bengaluru Bulls square off at the Gachibowli Indoor Stadium..

In anticipation of the new season, a grand launch was held in the city which was graced by PKL League Commissioner & Head of Sports Leagues at Mashal Sports, Anupam Goswami, along with team captains Pawan Sehrawat (Telugu Titans) and Pardeep Narwal (Bengaluru Bulls).

Captains of the remaining 10 teams were also present as they kicked off the PKL season.

One of the most exciting moments of the day was when an exhibition match was held featuring the PKL captains and a team of prominent creators, as a result of our partnership with Meta. Some of the prominent creators present at the match included the Big Nerds, Hardik Banga, Sidhant Sarfare, Ashish Singh, amongst others, bringing a fresh and engaging dynamic to the sport.

Expressing his thoughts on the journey so far and the upcoming season, Goswami said, “The first decade of the PKL has been a huge achievement, but for us, the focus is on using the experiences to help prepare for the next phase, and further build on the success stories. The players have received a lot of support over the years. And one of the standout aspects is the confidence with which the players say they are kabaddi athletes”.

After helping rediscover a world-class Indian sport, the next phase of this important journey involves going to newer shores. There has been a significant amount of interest internationally for the PKL. We have always worked with a fan-first thought process, and we promise to be relentless in our approach towards that, he added.

Telugu Titans’ captain Pawan while sharing his excitement for the opening match on the occasion, said “I am very happy that we, Telugu Titans, will play the opening game of the season at Hyderabad in front of our home fans. The fans have always supported us a lot, and we are sure there will be more of the same when we walk onto the mat. The team is in a good place and we are confident of doing well.”

Bengaluru Bulls’ captain Pardeep was ready for the challenge that lies ahead as he returns to the team that gave him his PKL debut.

Ahead of the opening match, he said, “Season 11 of the PKL will be huge and we are very excited to come into the tournament and we have prepared well throughout the pre-season for this. Our team is very well balanced and the Bulls are keen to start off with a bang.”

Preparations for PKL 11 began on a historic note as eight players were sold for over Rs 1 crore in the auction held in Mumbai.

After Pawan and Pardeep take to the mat on Friday, the second match of the night will see U Mumba’s Sunil Kumar – the most expensive Indian defender in PKL history after being bought for Rs 1.015 Crores – take on the attacking prowess of Naveen Kumar, who is among the star raiders for Dabang Delhi K.C.

This season, we are thrilled to provide our superfans with once-in-a-lifetime experiences, a tradition we plan to build on in the future. Through immersive digital interventions and unforgettable in-stadia moments, we aim to create more memorable connections and make our fans an integral part of the PKL journey.

The Pro Kabaddi League Season 11 will be broadcast live on the Star Sports Network and streamed on Disney+ Hotstar from October 18. Moreover, there will be a lot of interesting content to watch on PKL’s WhatsApp Channel.